Exploitation of the common guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) in the Northern region of Cameroon

Family poultry is an easily accessible source of income and animal protein for low-income populations in developing countries. This study was designed to describe the production system of the guinea fowlin the north region of Cameroon. To achieve this objective, a structured questionnaire was submitted to 72 guinea fowl keepers selected randomly in 7 localities. It emerged that guinea fowl farming is mostly a male business (77.78%). The average flock size is between 5-10 adult animals and the main production objectivesare consumption and sales (69.44%). The flocks are constituted from natural incubations carried out by local hens (88.88%); egg production is seasonal and poor, and almost all incubated eggs come from local markets (84.5%), individual collection in the surrounding groves and domestic spawning. Guinea fowls are in a scavenging system (66.66%) and merely housed. Birds often benefit from few handfuls of cereals (corn seeds and millet) and home wastes. Keets’mortality rate is higher (80.55%) among those aged between 8 to12 days. Majority of guinea fowls’keepers (76%) do not practice any health monitoring. The technical and financial constraintsare the major challenges to the development of guinea fowl production. The organization of producers, the dissemination of appropriate technologies and support with enabling policies and private sectors would improve the overallproduction performance and thus the rational exploitation of this native genetic resource.